Chicago Bears: 3 surprise players who could make roster

Dax Raymond

You may be most familiar with Dax Raymond from his appearance on the Chicago Bears own video series, “Meet the Rookies.”The piece highlighted Raymond’s two-year Mormon mission in Russia which began right after he graduated high school.

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Raymond credits the experience with making him the person he is today and instilling in him the work ethic that he brings to the table each and every day.

But a good story isn’t enough to land you a spot on an NFL roster. Fortunately for Raymond, he has many other things working in his favor.

First, he plays a position of need for the Bears. Yes, they have Trey Burton and Adam Shaheen as the “U” and “F” tight ends respectively, but there currently isn’t a suitable backup for Burton, and Ben Braunecker is the only backup to Shaheen who is oft-injured. Raymond has the ability to slide into both positions if necessary, a characteristic the Bears likely find appealing.

Second, Raymond is extremely talented. He falls into that aforementioned category of being a steal as an UDFA.

The 6-foot-5, 255 pound Raymond is very athletic, and a smooth route runner for his size. In addition, he possesses very soft hands, which he demonstrated during his time at Utah State. In his final two seasons, he hauled in 68 passes for a total of 801 yards and 3 touchdowns.

With his versatility and pass-catching ability, he could force the Bears to carry four tight ends (not counting newly converted Bradley Sowell).